Air Plants and Tillandsia

What are Air Plants?

Air plants can thrive without any soil and with the minimum of time spent on caring for them! Is this the perfect plant for those of us with busy lives? Indeed they are!

Air Plants have evolved to extract all the moisture, food and light that they need to thrive from just hanging off something! They have virtually no roots and can be fixed to just about any object or fixing in the house.

Most Air Plants are species of Tillandsia and are found growing in the wild in Central America. There they grow on the forest canopy of trees but you will also find them growing on power lines, buildings and pretty much anything that doesn’t move!

There are around 650 species of Tillandsia and they are related to Bromeliads which also live as an epiphyte in the canopy of trees.

How to Care for Air Plants

Air Plants [Tillandsia] like bright but not necessarily direct light – so avoid direct sunlight.

They need a bit of humidity in the air because that is predominantly where they get their water from. Fortunately this can be provided by a regular squirt from a water mister. But a periodic drench with water will do your plants the world of good! After all, that is what they would get if they were at home in the jungle! It’s always better, but not essential, to use rainwater. If you have no rainwater saved then do use tap water.

Tillandsia and other air plants get food from the air and from regular misting. So use our air plant fertiliser to encourage your plant to flower.

They need to have a minimum temperature of 8 degrees C so they are happier indoors than out. Some Air Plants could be put in a shaded place outside for the summer months but this is by no means a necessity. In fact they are the perfect low maintenance indoor house plant.

Where to Display Air Plants

Choose a light and warm place to position your air plants. Avoid areas that are particularly draughty but equally those areas where there is no air movement at all. Avoid areas that get direct sunlight too.

You can fix your air plant to containers that we offer or choose your own! This is a plant that lends itself to crafting so let your imagination loose.

Air plants are also a perfect first plant for children. They are very forgiving and if they are not misted for a while they often make a good recovery from temporary neglect. Remember that dunking air plants in water every now and then will do them the world of good.

Not only do air plants make a good gift for children but also for anyone interested in plants whether novice or expert.

Tillandsia are good plants for the office and workplace. They take up little space – suspended you might argue that they take up no space! Try one on the corner of a desk or on top of a filing cabinet.

Planted in terraria; tillandsia will thrive and be very easy to care for. Try planting several different looking ones together to get a more interesting effect.

What else do you need to grow them

Besides the plants you will need something on which to grow your air plants. We have suitable containers and aggregate.

We also have special air plant fixative to attach your air plant to the container.

If you’re getting crafty and creative you might want to use some of the sea shells, mopane cork/bark and copper wire that we offer. Set it all up on the coloured sand or gravel that we have too. Alternatively you might want to use some of the reindeer moss – both natural and coloured.

Ready to Go Air Plants

We have a small range of ready made air plant arrangements. These tillandsia plantings can be put on flat surfaces or hung from the ceiling. Just remember that you should avoid putting them on or near surfaces that might become spoilt by misting.